


Ever Since I Set Eyes on You

by Hollyspacey



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Dubious Science, F/M, Getting Together, but not really, ghost darcy, other dimensions, science experiments gone wrong
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-26
Updated: 2017-06-26
Packaged: 2018-11-18 04:04:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11283384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hollyspacey/pseuds/Hollyspacey
Summary: Steve meets a mysterious girl in a blue dress.





	Ever Since I Set Eyes on You

**Author's Note:**

> I am not really sure where this came from, and I honestly hope that it makes sense. Obviously I am no scientist, and any science is of the wavy-hand, shruggy variety. Just go with it. Big hugs to Dresupi who read this for me and gave me some much-needed confidence. :)

When Steve first saw the girl in the blue dress, he figured that was it, he’d finally lost his mind. It made sense, really. He'd seen and missed decades and had to start fresh in a brand new world. He'd had to question everything he’d ever known and figure out who he was and who he’d been and that wasn't easy on a person's brain, super serum or not. He saw the girl and thought that she must be the proof that he had finally just lost it. 

The last few months hadn’t helped. He and Sam had finally caught up to Bucky, or more accurately, he'd let them catch up to him. He promised to stay in touch and let them know if he needed help, but he wasn't ready to come back with them yet. He would be eventually, sure, but not yet. Steve was ok with this. 

Steve was _trying_ to be ok with this. 

So between the seemingly never-ending search and the brief time for himself he'd taken after it was over, Steve had been away from the facility for almost seven months. Then he returned and a girl in a blue dress started haunting him. 

The first time he saw her was out of the corner of his eye, and he wasn’t even sure what it was he’d seen at the time, to be perfectly honest. He'd just entered his apartment when a flash of blue in the shape of a person caught his attention. His bag fell to the floor and his shield was out before he realized there was nothing there. Shrugging it off, he unpacked and went into the bathroom to get cleaned up, finally shaving and trimming his longer locks. 

He’d just finished when he turned from the mirror to grab a towel, only to see a girl sitting on his bed watching him. He looked back to the mirror, and nope, she wasn't there in the reflection. But she was as soon as he turned back. Sitting cross-legged on his bed, clad in that same brilliant blue that he’d caught in a flash earlier, a small smirk on her face like she knew something that he didn't. Not really a surprise at this point. 

“So you must be Captain America,” she said, her voice soft and teasing. 

He put his towel down and walked towards her. She looked real, but also not. There was a something a little off about her appearance, like he couldn't quite focus on her. It was like when he was young, before the serum, and everything was just the slightest bit fuzzy unless it was right in front of his face. But she looked real, looked solid. 

Steve wasn't sure how to respond to her, this unexpected girl. “I am. Who are you?” 

A look of glee passed over her face. “Oh, they haven't told you about me.” 

“No, I wasn’t warned about anyone breaking into my room.” 

Her grin widened. “You’re pretty sassy for a national hero.” 

“So I've been told.” 

Steve wasn't sure what it said about his mental constitution that he wasn't questioning this as much as he should, that he was actually bantering with this mystery girl. 

“You gonna tell me who you are?” 

The girl shrugged, standing from the bed and taking two steps towards Steve. “I’m a ghost,” she said in what he was pretty certain was a sarcastic tone. 

Who knew though, she certainly could have been a ghost. He stilled, waiting for her to reach out and touch him, she was so close, but she didn't. Just shot him another grin and turned to walk out of his apartment. And right through a closed door. He strode quickly over, opening the door and glancing up and down the hallway, but the girl was nowhere to be seen. 

He wanted to ask the others, but he hesitated. They were already giving him looks that he didn’t entirely like. As if he was about to snap now that he’d found Bucky and still didn’t get to bring him back. They didn’t realize that it hurt, yes, but that Steve understood it. He’d known Bucky longer than anyone, better than anyone, and even decades of trauma and separation hadn’t changed who they were at the heart of things. He understood Bucky’s reasoning even if the reality of it stung. So he thought maybe it was best to keep ghost girl to himself, if only to retain the illusion of his sanity. 

That evening he ate his dinner with his teammates, sat with his sketchpad for a while, went back to his apartment, tried to start a routine. Steve Rogers appreciated routine. But bedtime rolled around and hours later, he was still lying in bed, staring at the ceiling. Eventually, he got up and slipped on his sneakers. 

On his 27th lap of the track, he spotted her. Her blue dress, bright in the moonlight, a stark contrast against her pale skin and dark hair. She just stood and watched him, Steve not acknowledging her at first, just continuing to run. He ran miles and miles until he thought that maybe there was a slight tiredness in his muscles, even if it was just boredom and not actual physical strain. He slowed down and eventually came to stand in front of the girl. She looked exactly the same as she did that morning, not a hair out of place, and he wondered what that meant. 

“So you can come outside?” Steve asked, trying to piece together who or what she was. 

“I can go anywhere I want.” 

“Do you break into everyone’s rooms or am I the lucky one?” 

"Like I said, I can go anywhere I want," she said with a smirk. "But a new face? And one as handsome as yours? I couldn’t possibly resist stopping by for a visit.” 

“Who are you?” 

“Now, that is a very existential question, Captain Rogers. Who are any of us, really?” 

“Well, what? Are you a ghost or something?” Steve spit out irritably. 

A flash of sadness ghosted across her face, and then she shrugged. “I have been informed that I am absolutely not a ghost, although sometimes I doubt that.” Her face softened and she continued, “I’m not sure what I am, to answer your question. But you aren’t crazy. Sorry if I made you think you were, but I get bored sometimes.” 

“Who are you? What’s your name?” 

The girl didn’t answer, just gave him that same grin and turned away. She was just about to walk through the wall of the facility when she turned back for a moment. “Let a girl keep at least one of her secrets, Captain. I’m sure you’ll hear all about me soon enough.” 

Then, she was gone. 

The next morning, she greeted him in the hallway. Came through the wall across from his apartment and walked beside him towards the kitchen. 

“Captain, you are in for a treat. I hear today is pancake day.” She sighed dreamily, “What I wouldn’t give for a pancake, especially since it’s Tony’s day for breakfast duty. He burns just about everything else, but his pancakes are on another level.” 

“So, you’ve eaten his pancakes before?” Steve asked.

“Oh yeah. I like them with banana slices and a little honey. You should try it. Unless you are a maple syrup purist, which is totally understandable.” 

“Tony knows you, then.” 

“Of course Tony knows me,” she said.

Steve stopped in his tracks and his arm reached out to stop the girl, he needed answers. Instead of connecting with her arm, his hand kept going. Where the girl was standing was nothing but air, nothing but emptiness, and his hand went right through her. He shouldn’t have been surprised, but he was. She looked down to where he was reaching through her and then back up to his face, her gaze blank. 

“No touching,” she said in a sad voice as she stepped away and headed in the opposite direction with a much less carefree gait than before. 

Steve decided then and there that he had to ask about the strange girl, first chance he got. Maybe Tony, since the girl said he knew her. Steve was sure that Tony would undoubtedly make fun of him for asking, but he would probably be Steve’s best chance for answers. 

The team was gathered around the table when Steve entered. Tony greeted him loudly from the counter where he was mixing a huge bowl of pancake batter. Steve said his hello’s as he sat down beside Thor and poured himself a glass of juice. 

There was a low hum of chatter, everyone discussing their day’s plans, or the weather, or work they needed to get done. Steve listened as Natasha and Clint discussed some movie they’d watched the night before, Natasha throwing blueberries at him every time he disagreed with her. He caught each one in his mouth, but Steve figured the gesture was enough. 

Tony paused, mid-conversation, mixing bowl in hand and asked, “Has anyone seen Darcy this morning? I figured she’d be here by now. It’s pancake day and she loves judging everyone’s topping choices.” 

“She better show, we’re only halfway through our experiment,” Clint said grumpily. 

“Experiment?” Steve asked. 

“We are trying to find the perfect pancake topping combination. So far the closest we’ve come is marshmallow fluff, chocolate sauce, and raspberry jam. She doesn’t trust my judgement, though.” 

“She shouldn’t. It looked disgusting,” Natasha said with a grimace. 

“Ok. Well, who is Darcy?” 

Everyone at the table paused simultaneously, every set of eyes turning to Steve in silence until Tony broke it with a burst of laughter, “Oh, no. No one told him about Lewis? C’mon, people.” He turned to Steve and waved his spatula in his face. “You couldn’t have missed her and I know she didn’t stay away from you. Mouthy little thing, pretty, wearing a blue dress.” 

Steve let out a breath as he realized this Darcy was his girl in blue, his ghost girl. “Who is she? What is she?” 

“ _What_ she is, is my best friend. She isn’t a what, she’s a _person_ ,” said Jane angrily. 

Steve had only just met Dr. Foster the day before, but he knew not to get on her bad side. Thor ran his hands up and down her back and said softly, “I don’t think Steven meant any harm. It is likely our Darcy did not explain her situation.” 

“She wouldn’t tell me anything, I asked.” 

Tony flipped the pancake he was cooking and turned back to Steve. “Darcy was in the wrong place at the wrong time when a machine of Jane’s went a little wonky.” 

“I swear, I didn’t know it could do that,” Jane interjected guiltily. 

“Hey, no one blames you. Especially Darcy, ok? It was a freak accident. Anyway,” Tony said, going back to Steve. “Darcy, wrong place, wrong time. There was a malfunction and she got sent to another universe.” 

There was silence for a moment and then Steve asked, “Seriously?” 

“‘Fraid so. We know she’s still alive and that she is ok. And we think we know how to get her back, but we have to wait for a specific window of time to do it.” 

“My dear friend Heimdall is assisting us. He has assured me that Darcy is alive and well. Just, _out of place_. But we will return her to her natural state,” Thor proclaimed. 

“I thought she was a ghost,” Steve said softly. He should probably have been more grateful that he hadn’t lost his mind as he previously thought, but this was somehow more unbelievable than if he had. 

“Let me guess, she has been popping up scaring you, huh? She does it to me all the time.” Clint asked, leaning back in his chair. 

“Now, why would I do that?” the girl, Darcy, asked as she popped out of the wall beside Clint’s head. The archer shrieked, his chair hitting the ground as he glared at the newcomer. “Besides, I’m just keeping you on your toes, Clinton.” 

She waltzed in, whispering, ‘good morning’ as she passed Jane and Thor and she sat in the empty chair beside Natasha, giving her a warm smile. Tony slid a huge plate of pancakes on the table and smirked at Darcy. “I knew you’d show up. Can’t resist a handsome man in an apron.” 

“But I thought it was your day to cook,” Darcy said smartly. 

“Hey, now. Be nice.” 

“You look very handsome in your apron, Tony.” 

“Thank you.” 

“I told you it was pancake day,” Darcy said to Steve, who was sitting a few spots down from her. 

“So you did.” 

The sadness he’d seen in her eyes when he tried to touch her was gone, but he understood exactly where it came from now. The rest of the meal went by uneventfully, Steve begrudgingly admitted that Tony made amazing pancakes and he got to watch as Clint heaped an ungodly amount of toppings on his, Darcy cheering him on as he ate what Steve thought was the most unappetizing meal he’d ever seen, and he’d lived through the Great Depression. 

And _Darcy_. 

He watched as everyone interacted with her. It surprised him how easy she was with everyone. Some of the most difficult people to get close to that he could imagine, and they were doting over her, treating her so warmly. He wondered how she had inspired that sort of devotion in them. 

And he wondered about her situation. Obviously Jane was upset about it, but Tony had seemed to think it was fixable. He was sure that the specifics were too confusing for a non-scientist to understand completely, but he was curious. He wondered what it was like for Darcy. She seemed happy, relatively speaking, but what a thing to go through.

Darcy stayed her distance from Steve for a while. He wasn’t sure if it was leftover weirdness from him reaching through her in the hallway, or maybe she was just giving him space. But she stayed away. 

Then, it was as if her curiosity got the better of her. She started spending time with him at random moments. The walking-in-uninvited thing stopped, instead she would peek her head through the front door and yell out, “Knock, knock.” Steve considered it an improvement. 

And he found that he liked spending time with her. It took some getting used to, her ignoring things like walls and doors and personal boundaries, though he suspected that the latter had little to do with her current situation and more to do with who she was as a person. 

She would come in and sit beside him on couch, watch whatever he had playing on the tv and wait for him to talk. And it turned out to be sort of a blessing in disguise. On the nights when Steve couldn’t sleep and he got stuck in his own head, he would wander around the facility, eventually bumping into Darcy. Then, he’d casually invite her over to watch a movie and she would keep him company. It helped more than he expected. 

One night, they were sitting there watching one of the terrible reality shows she sometimes insisted on, when Steve turned to her. “Can I ask you a question?” 

“Maybe. I always get nervous when someone asks me that. But, sure, ask away.” 

“What exactly happened to you? Bruce tried to explain it to me, but he started talking and I got sort of confused. Felt kinda stupid, to be honest.”

“Yes, he has that effect sometimes.” Darcy paused, thinking it over, before continuing, “I don’t know, really. Jane figured it out and then Heimdall confirmed it. He can still see me, which is kind of excellent, because that means I’m not dead. That I’m _reachable_ , at least theoretically. When they first tried explaining it they were using big, five-dollar vocab words and I was clueless. Basically, my entire self is on another plane of existence, but it’s close enough to this one that my essence, or whatever, is here where it’s supposed to be.” 

Darcy sighed, “I sound like a hippie or something and I don’t even really know what I’m saying.” 

“Well, at least they know what’s going on.” 

“Yeah, still totally blows, though.” 

“What’s it like there, where you are?” 

“It's not terrible here, wherever I am. It’s almost like an out of body experience. It looks like I'm there, at the facility with all of you. But. Like I'm looking through a window or something. Like it's _almost_ real, but I know if I reach out I'll just hit glass. Or it's like I'm watching a tv really up close. The picture looks real, but I can see the pixels and I know it's not the same.” 

“That definitely blows,” Steve said, echoing Darcy’s earlier sentiments. 

“Jane thinks they can bring me back. She's _confident_. They all are when they know I'm watching. And Thor brings word from Heimdall that I'm still where I'm supposed to be and that the time to bring me back draws near.” 

Steve’s brow furrowed as he listened to her and picked up the small thread of doubt in her words. He had assumed that it was a given that they could get her back and would get her back. He didn’t like that Darcy didn’t seem so sure of it. “You don’t think they can do it?” 

Darcy paused, giving a shrug. “I'm grateful for all they're doing to bring me back, and if anyone can do it, it's them. But what if they can't? What if I'm stuck like this forever? What if I never get to take a hot shower again? Or eat a huge, greasy slice of pizza? What if I never get to pet Lucky again? Or smell… anything? What if I never get to hug someone or have sex again? I mean, sure, I wasn't exactly having a lot before, but I always assumed in the future the opportunity would pop up again.” 

Steve felt a flush cover his neck at her words. He wasn’t the blushing virgin that people seemed to assume he was, but those words coming from Darcy’s mouth hit him differently. They made him think things that he wasn’t sure he should be thinking.

“Why didn’t you tell me who you were? That morning you showed up at my room, and then that night at the track, you wouldn’t tell me anything about you,” he reminded her.

Darcy gave a shrug and examined her nails. “I don’t know.” 

“Sure you do.” 

Darcy met his eyes and he saw a bit of sadness creep into her expression. “151 days. That’s how long I’ve been like this. You were the first person who didn’t know everything the moment you laid eyes on me. The first person who didn’t look at me with pity or sadness or guilt, and I don’t know, I liked it. I wanted to hold on to that for as long as I could.” 

“Do I look at you different now?” 

“A little,” she said sadly. “Eventually, everyone will get completely used to it. And I’ve snuck up on Clint so many times, I’ve lost all goodwill with him. I think he is pretty done with me, so we’re basically back to normal.” 

“You do like scaring him, huh?” 

Darcy chuckled and nodded, “I really do.” 

“I know what that’s like,” Steve said a few moments later. 

“What?” 

“The looks. The pity and sadness and guilt, all of it. That’s all I got when I left the ice, and now,” Steve said, trailing off. 

“Bucky.” 

Steve nodded, “Spent all that time looking for him and he isn’t ready to come back yet. And everyone is looking at me like they are waiting on me to snap.” 

“Which makes you feel like you’re gonna snap,” she said.

“Exactly.” 

“I know that feeling, dude. When Thor first came back and explained how long it would take to get me back, I stormed out of the lab. I was freaking out so bad and I didn’t want anyone to see, they all felt guilty enough. The next day, they were talking all soft to me and being so nice and I just wanted it to _stop_. I know they meant well, but I don’t think they realized how sucky it was. I just wanted everything and everyone to go back to normal.” 

“I’m sorry.” 

“Thanks. Sorry about your friend.” 

“Thank you. He made his decision and I respect it. But yeah, it stinks. I want him here. I miss him.” 

“It’s kind of a good thing though, right? Him wanting to be on his own for a while?” 

“How so?” 

“Well, I know a little about him and his past. I know what he went through with Hydra. He was totally under their control, right? Unable to make decisions or have his own identity?” 

“Yeah.” 

“Well, this is like him taking back his life. _He_ is making the decision of where he is and what he’s doing and he’s out there, just _living_. It sucks for you, but it’s probably really good for him.” 

“I didn’t look at it like that,” Steve admitted.

“Did he seem happy?” 

“Maybe not happy, but content. Safe. Better than the last time I saw him, that’s for sure,” Steve said with a wry grin. 

“Don’t give up him. Let him have his space and I think he’ll surprise you.” Darcy grinned at him. “Now is the time I would hug you and say that Bucky’s gonna come back eventually and he’s going to be super glad that you let him have this time. But, sadly, no hugging. Do you want me to go get Wanda to give you a hug for me? She’s a great hugger.” 

“No thanks. First thing when you come back, I’ll take one from you, though.” 

Darcy ducked her head to where Steve could barely see the smile that had on her face. “You got it.”

Something shifted after that conversation. Steve felt closer to Darcy, he felt like he knew her, he understood her. He came to realize that he was always searching her out. Not just at night when he couldn’t sleep and he knew that she would be wandering around the facility, but at breakfast each morning he would wait patiently until she showed up, and he felt a relief when he saw her pop into the room, usually scaring Clint. 

He found himself looking for her in the hallways, keeping an eye out while he was running, or sparring, or doing anything in a public space, constantly had an ear out for her cheery, ‘knock, knock’ before she showed up in his apartment. 

That was his favorite. 

When it was just the two of them and he didn’t have to compete with Jane or Natasha or Clint or Tony or anyone else for her affection. When he could talk to her like he hadn’t talked to, well anyone, since he came back. Or when they sat silently as she made him watch a movie that she swore was her absolute favorite, even though the last three movies she’d shown him had also been her absolute favorite. 

He found he was able to relax around her. He let down the guard that he’d had up for too long, because he knew it was useless around her. She knew when he was down, and somehow knew exactly what to say to lift him up again. 

One evening, Steve stepped out of the shower only to hear voices in his bedroom. He stood still and listened. It was Darcy. And she was talking to Bucky. Steve hurriedly pulled his clothes on and stepped into the bedroom. 

Darcy was lying diagonally across his bed, her head near his nightstand, where Steve’s phone was. It was on speakerphone and Bucky was talking. Actually talking, asking her questions about herself, much more talkative than he had been with Steve when he’d caught up to him, more than the sometimes awkward conversations they had when Bucky called to check in. He heard a note of the old Bucky, _his_ Bucky on the phone and it filled him with something unnameable. 

Darcy spotted Steve and gave him a little wave. “Steve just walked in, say hey, Bucky.” 

“Hey, Steve,” Bucky said, and Steve could swear that he heard that small grin of his in his voice. 

“Do you want me to go so you two can talk?” 

“No, no you’re fine,” Steve said, coming around to sit beside Darcy on the bed. “How are you doing, Buck?” 

“I’m good. You?” 

“Yeah, I’m good.” 

“Your girl here was telling me all about the facility. Says I need to come for a visit.” 

It was the first time Bucky had mentioned anything like that. Steve cleared his throat, “Yeah, you should. You’re welcome anytime.” 

“I’ll think about it.” 

It wasn’t a promise or anything, but it filled Steve with something light and happy. He started babbling to Bucky, telling him stuff he hadn’t been sure if Bucky would even care about. But he stayed on the phone, laughing softly occasionally, lightly flirting with Darcy whenever she had something to say.

Steve thought back to what Bucky had said when he first walked in on him and Darcy talking. Bucky had called her Steve’s girl. It was like something clicked. She may not have been his girl, but Steve felt a fondness towards her that he hadn’t felt since Peggy. He cared for her, he _liked_ her. 

The call ended and Darcy grinned at Steve. “I didn’t mean to take over your phone call. I peeked my head in to see what you were doing and your phone was ringing. I saw it was Bucky and I didn’t want you to miss it, so Friday answered the call for me.” 

“No, that’s fine. Thank you. I’m glad you got to meet him.” 

“Me too. I like him,” she said.

Steve shook his head, unsurprised. “The girls used to always like Bucky.” 

“Oh, I’m sure they did. I bet he was a charmer.” 

“He was. He’d have girls falling all over themselves to get a dance with him.” 

“What about you?” Darcy asked.

“No, I didn’t have that problem,” Steve said with a wry laugh. 

“I don’t believe you.” 

If only she knew. Steve had a flashback to all of the painful double dates Bucky had dragged him to back in the day. He might look different, but he was still that awkward guy that none of the girls wanted. Or at least he felt that way most of the time. He didn’t mention this to Darcy, just said, “Nah, it’s true. I was a scrawny little thing, girls only danced with me cause they felt bad.” 

“Then they were all stupid, didn’t even know what they were missing out on,” she said adamantly.

“So you would have danced with me, even when I was little?” 

“Absolutely.”

Steve watched her, lying at his side, head on her arm as she looked up at him with those beautiful blue eyes of hers, and he wondered when he’d started using the word _beautiful_ to describe her, even though it was the most appropriate word he could think of. 

Her hand was resting on the bed between them and he moved his over until their fingertips were just millimeters away from each other. Where he could have moved the slightest bit and brushed against her, if only she were really there. Just close enough to bring on the temptation to try it, even though he knew that if he went to touch her, he was only going to hit air and they would both be reminded of what they already knew. That she wasn’t there and he couldn’t touch her and that maybe he really, really wanted to. 

“What are you thinking about?” she asked softly. 

“You.” 

“What about me?” 

“I wish you were really here. All the way here, I mean. I’d like to know if your skin is as soft as it looks and if you smell as good as I think you probably do.” 

“I haven’t showered in nearly six months, so probably not,” she said, the corner of her mouth ticking up in amusement. 

“We’ll get you a shower first thing when you get back then.” 

“You gonna join me?” Darcy asked in a low, teasing voice. 

Steve nodded slowly. “Y’know, I just might.” 

“Steven Rogers, I am getting the very distinct vibe that you like me. Can it be?” 

“Maybe. Would that be so terrible?” 

She shook her head. “Not at all. It’s possible that I like you back. Maybe even _like_ like you.” 

“ _Like_ like? Wow,” Steve said shaking his head. “Don’t know what I did to deserve that.” 

His voice was teasing, but the look in his eyes was sincere and happy and the smile it gave Darcy lit up her whole face. 

“Can I stay here tonight?” she asked.

“Of course.” 

Darcy curled up closer and Steve fell asleep watching her. It was the best night’s sleep he’d had in ages, and all because of her.

Two days later, Thor returned from his weekly trip to Asgard with better-than-usual news. The next day, Jane and Bruce would be able to program their accidental inter-universe machine, push a few buttons and zap Darcy back home. 

When they told Darcy, she didn’t react as well as they expected. She got quiet, pasted on what Steve thought of as an incredibly insincere smile, and said, “Great, awesome.” 

She listened attentively as they went over what the plan was, but Steve was watching from across the room and knew that she was only half-listening. He caught up to her later that night, alone. She was sitting outside on a lounge chair, staring into the distance as the stars started lighting up the sky. 

“You wanna talk about it?” he asked, sitting in the chair beside her.

“Talk about what?” 

“C’mon, Darcy. I’m not stupid.” 

Darcy sighed and let her head flop back. “I’m scared.” 

“I get that, but you know that Jane and Bruce and Tony have got this. They will do anything to get you back here.” 

“What if it all goes wrong? What if they zap me into some distant universe, never to be seen again? Or what if I’m still here and none of you can see me? I don’t know if I can do it,” she confessed. 

“What if it all works and you get to come back home and you are really here, with us? With me? And you get to take that shower you wanted, and eat an entire pizza and pet Lucky and do all the things you can’t do now.” 

“Including the sex?” she asked, looking up at him shyly.

Steve nodded and gave her a heated look. “Including the sex. I’ll make sure of it.” 

“You sure know how to convince a girl,” Darcy said, ducking her head to hide her grin.

“I figured it would be a good enough incentive for me.” 

Darcy bit her lip as she picked at an invisible piece of fuzz on her sleeve. Steve thought that she was worried about something else, something more, but he gave her time to gather her thoughts. Her voice was soft when she eventually spoke, “What if I come back and things are different?” 

“Between us,” Steve clarified. 

“Yeah, between us.” 

“You’ll still be Darcy, that’s all I care about,” he said.

“What if you decide you don’t want me anymore?” 

“That isn’t going to happen, I promise you.” 

“But it could,” she insisted.

“What if you decide you don’t want me anymore?” 

Darcy made a dismissive noise and rolled her eyes. “Then I’ll be the dumbest girl on the planet.” 

“As long as you’re on this planet, we’ll be fine.” 

“You really think they can do it?” Darcy asked.

“I do. I have to believe fate doesn’t hate me that much, that it would take you away, too.” 

“If it does, I’ll blame you and your terrible luck.” 

“You can do that,” Steve said.

“Tomorrow, then.” 

“Tomorrow,” Steve confirmed. He said it like a promise. Tomorrow would be successful, they would get her back and she would be his, they would be happy. They just had to be.

After breakfast, everyone filtered into the lab. There was a palpable tension in the air and it was clear that everyone just wanted this to be over, to have Darcy back. It was all Steve could think about. Jane went through step-by-step what was going to happen, Bruce helpfully explaining it again in layman’s terms so everyone understood. 

Darcy looked nervous, but she was trying to be positive. Cracking jokes about Tony and Clint and teasing Jane. Steve watched her silently, wanting nothing more than to gather her in his arms and tell her it would all be ok. 

“She’ll be fine,” Natasha said in a low voice as she sidled up beside him. 

“I hope so.” 

“You’ve been good for her.” Steve didn’t respond and Natasha continued, “And she’s been good for you.” 

“Yeah, I guess so.” 

Natasha briefly lay her hand on his shoulder. “We won’t rest until we get her back,” she said decisively, slinking away. 

Darcy stood in front of the machine while Jane and Tony fiddled with the controls. Bruce was standing at a monitor, keeping track of the best time to turn the machine on. 

“We’re almost there,” he said quietly. “Just under a minute now.” 

Darcy took a deep breath and gave everyone a big smile. “Ok, I’m ready.” 

A few moments later, Bruce gave his signal and Jane flipped the lever. Darcy’s eyes met Steve’s, wide and scared, and he had to physically hold himself in place. There was a bright spark and a large burst of smoke and then Darcy was gone. The room was quiet as everyone stared at the blank space, where she had been moments before. 

Jane started chanting, “No, no, no, no,” as she looked over her numbers, trying to find what had gone wrong. Thor stormed from the room, heading to the landing pad so he could go see Heimdall. But everyone else was still. Natasha had a shattered expression on her face that she quickly covered, but Steve could see the tiny tremor that ran through her hands. 

Steve himself felt Darcy’s absence as a physical thing. His heart pounded as he stared uselessly at the spot where she had been standing moments before. The scientists worked quickly, reviewing their work and examining the machine, but Steve didn’t care. He was gutted. He’d told her it would be fine, that she would be fine, and now she was gone. How could he live with that?

Minutes passed, no one moving, like they were afraid of upsetting something. Then, miraculously, Friday’s voice broke the relative silence in the room. “Thor has returned from Asgard. He has found Miss Lewis and brought her home safely.” 

A collective sigh of relief swept through the room and they all rushed outside. Standing on the launch pad was Thor, and in his arms was Darcy. She looked at all of them and cried out in joy. Thor set her down as everyone rushed over. Steve waited patiently until everyone had their time with her. She was covered in hugs and kisses, petted and squeezed and they were all clearly ecstatic she was back. Steve, too. But he let them have their time, they needed it, Darcy needed it. Eventually, Darcy made a dramatic noise and pushed everyone away. 

“Ugh, get off. You guys are killing me,” she said with a massive smile across her face. 

“Let us, we have missed you, myshka,” said Natasha, tugging softly at a strand of Darcy’s hair. 

The group led Darcy away from the launch pad, Tony already planning the celebration he was going to throw in Darcy’s honor. As he and the rest of them argued about party plans, Darcy slipped back out of the group. She came to stand before Steve, that same adorable grin on her face that she’d had that first day. 

“So you must be Captain America.” 

“I am. You must be Darcy. I’ve heard a lot about you.” 

“Only the good stuff is true,” she said seriously.

“I’m sure,” Steve said with a laugh. He let his eyes pass over her, and god wasn’t it nice to see her in the flesh. She was even better than he had imagined. 

“I can’t believe you just checked me out.” 

“Is that not alright?” he asked.

“No, I’m disgusted,” she said, in a tone that said she was anything but. And in case he was confused, she finished it off with a bit of good-natured leering of her own. 

“I can’t believe you just checked me out,” Steve said, eyebrow raised. 

“I would _never_.” 

Steve hummed. “I can’t believe this is real, that you are really here.” 

“You can touch me if you need proof,” Darcy offered.

Steve met Darcy’s eyes and let his hand reach out. His fingertips slid down the length of Darcy’s arm, catching her hand in his own. Darcy blinked quickly, her eyes glittering with unshed tears as she looked down at their linked hands. “Oh, that’s so much better than I thought it would be,” she said in a soft, awestruck voice.

“It is, isn’t it?” 

“Yeah, it is.” 

“You know, I think I was promised a hug when you got back,” Steve said.

“So you were.” 

Darcy stepped forward and slid her arms around Steve, him holding tight as his face rested against her head. 

“So much better,” Steve murmured into her hair, smiling when Darcy started laughing. 

Darcy pulled her head back and gazed at him. She nodded. “Yes, I like this.” 

“Me too.” 

“I’m gonna kiss you now,” Darcy said as she lifted up onto her tiptoes and slipped her arms around Steve’s neck. She pulled him down and their lips met softly, Darcy leaning forward to deepen it. 

Steve grasped her thighs and lifted her, Darcy wrapping around him without breaking their kiss for a moment. Her fingers brushed through his hair, tugging gently as she made the softest sounds against Steve’s mouth. He never wanted to put her down, wanted to hold her and touch her forever, and in the haze of her kiss he made a promise that he would, at least for as long as she would let him. 

A throat clearing caught their attention and Steve turned to see Tony staring at them judgmentally. “Jesus, Cap. She hasn’t even been back for five minutes, let the girl breathe.” 

“Shove it, Tony,” Darcy said cheerfully. 

“Huh. See if I try to defend your honor anymore.” 

“Yeah, yeah,” Darcy murmured. “Thank you, Tony. Now go away.” 

“Just saying dinner is in an hour, if you two can detach long enough to eat.” 

“Bye, Tony.” 

Steve set Darcy on her feet, pulling back to give her some space. “I’m glad you’re here.” 

“Me too. I have many things to do.” 

“Yeah?” he asked.

“Yes,” she said. I am going to go to my room and devour a chocolate bar and then take the longest shower I’ve ever taken. Then, I will go eat until I can’t stand. I trust Tony to get all of my favorites.” 

“Don’t forget you have to pet Lucky,” he reminded her.

“Oh, yes. Tony is going to have to set aside his ‘No dogs in the kitchen’ rule.’ At least for tonight.” 

They headed inside, Darcy wrapping around Steve’s arm as they walked. Darcy smiled innocently up at him. “Then of course, I have to find someone to help me out with the sex thing.” 

Steve let out a little cough, but recovered quickly. “Yes, ma’am. I will be sure to help you find just the right person for that job.” 

Darcy nodded. “I would be ever so grateful.” 

They arrived at Darcy’s apartment and she leaned against her doorframe, looking shyly at Steve. “Can I come over later? After the party thing? I promise to knock.” 

“Yes, I would like that.”


End file.
